Interview R.A. Salvatore Hated the Names in KoA: Reckoning

[VentilatorOfDoom]

Tags: Big Huge Games; Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning

R.A. Salvatore shares his thoughts on the Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning plot (read: NPC names), which he wasn't involved in, apparently, over at The Escapist.

"I hated the names," Salvatore said. "That was the biggest fight I had with people." He created the names of the the different cultures and major characters, but the individual character names were all made up by Ken Rolston's team at Big Huge Games. Salvatore wrote the backstory of Amalur, but he didn't have a hand in the writing of the script. If he did, Salvatore might have handled it differently.

"Peter Jackson's LOTR movies did a great job of introducing characters by condensing the cast," Salvatore said. Movies tend to err on the side of less is more with naming conventions, and Salvatore wondered if games should consider condensing the amount of lore exposed to the player. The characters are what drives the players into the story.

"I loved the character of Alyn Shir," said Salvatore," and I wish she was in the game more." He also thought there might have been too many sidequests because, as a completionist, he felt too distracted by them to progress through the main story at the right pace.

All the quibbles aside, Salvatore absolutely adored the final product. "I wrote a long letter to Big Huge Games and I was almost crying as I wrote it," he told me. Salvatore is immensely proud of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, especially how fun the action combat ended up.

I almost cried.

 

[Konjad]

I hate elves.

 

[VentilatorOfDoom]

What have the elves ever done to you?

 

[J_C]

They touched him when he was little.

 

[laclongquan]

I dont really care about Salvatore. He's a very big name in fantasy fiction, but ... never interest me that much to try his book. The one I tried is forgetable. I forget what it was.

 

[commie]

I didn't quite catch what you said laclongquan. Could you repeat it?

 

[IronicNeurotic]

Propose new thread title.

"How Amalur could have been worse"

 

[Kalin]

Salvatore is not a monocled writer by any means, but some of his books are still entertaining, especially those that deal with the Drow in Menzoberranzan and that human assassin.

But of course, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning seems to be pretty awful.

 

[Wyrmlord]

I dont really care about Salvatore. He's a very big name in fantasy fiction, but ... never interest me that much to try his book. The one I tried is forgetable. I forget what it was.

So did you or did you not read his book? Your post does not make it clear.

 

[Regdar]

"I loved the character of Alyn Shir," said Salvatore," and I wish she was in the game more."

Why isn't this guy working for Bioware yet? Seems like it would be a match made in HEAVAN.

 

[Konjad]

I read quite a lot of Salvatore's books. Most of his characters were rather meh, even shitty - especially those with Drizzt and his retarded team consisting of one strong dumbfuck, a stupid cut (who obviously loves strong and dumb men), banal shit boring thiefling etc. He did, however, write good books too. I mean all the parts with drow-assassin and the drow-mercenary were really good, there was one book written all about them, the rest was just stories put in between the parts about Drizzt. That's too bad he emphasizes good and retarded heroes, while he writes really good evil and practical ones. Salvatore has a potential and skill, he just took the wrong way. Someone should beat and abuse him, so he would stop writing about 'good and hehehe funny' characters and start about mean motherfuckers.

BTW. His sense of humour is usually terrible, however he doesn't use it when writing about anti-heroes.

 

[Ringhausen]

Great boys literature.

 

[Shannow]

I really like cute little ponies.

 

[Lockkaliber]

Contrary to Konjad, I don't think there is much going for Salvatore at all, if you are an adult. However, I did read them when I was 12-13 and some of them through my teens, and I really liked them. I think they might be good books for children. And characters like Jarlaxle just reads like "look at this incredibly awesome charismatic and flamboyant strategical mastermind I just came up with oh and by the way, he has an EYE PATCH!". It's like something a 13 year old me would have come up with.

Also that fucking book wherer Wulfgar becomes an alcoholic in Luskan. That's the most hamhanded attempt I've ever seen of someone trying to make their high-fantasy literature DEEP.

inb4 lesifoere

 

[Konjad]

Well, I read them quite a long time ago as well, but I think reading new stories about Jarlaxe, or whatever his name was, could be interesting. Not interesting enough to make me check if there is any new book about him or going through the Drizzt parts again, though

 

[laclongquan]

The only book I abandoned is bad enough that force me to do that... therefore I remember it. Since I cant evern remember his book's name, it means I must have read it.

 

[Shannow]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sellswords
No Drizzt, all Entreri and Jarlaxle. I don't remember Servant of the Shard. Promise of the Witch King was a pretty good fantasy adventure novel. Road of the Patriach...was meh, IIRC.

Otherwise Salvatore is ok, when compared to other fantasy franchise writers, and pretty bad when compared to real writers. The first two FR trilogies are good reads for adolescents. The later books tend to be a lot shittier with some ok stuff in between. His non-FR stuff is pretty bad, too, at least the 6 or so books I read.

 

[commie]

I think they might be good books for children.

Isn't that true of all fantasy by definition? Oh of course there's Martin with his raping and oral sex for the more mature clientele...

pretty bad when compared to real writers.

What's a 'real' writer?

 

[Sul]

I liked KoA lore. By no means is original like, let's say, Elder Scrolls or Thief, but it's pretty solid with a nice twist here and there.

 

[CappenVarra]

it's so sad to see a promising and sadly underrated fantasy author create a work of immense beauty and artistic vision from only the noblest thought-stuff his fevered brian holds like so much stardust, only to have crass bourgeois bean-counters manhandle the delicate fruits of his labor like horny manboons seduced by the smooth glint of millennial see-through china

i especially liked that part of one of his books where a noble dwarf-bro gets so angry at the bad shadow dragon he douses himself in oil, sets his beard aflame, and jumps on the beast - like a manly ghandi-like midget whose contempt for unenlightened tyrants can only be expressed by setting his very soul ablaze (dwarfs keep their soul in their beard of course) to bring the light of raging truth to the dark crevices of their shadows (the dragon was also made of shadow, it's a beautiful metaphor really)

 

[Shannow]

I think they might be good books for children.

Isn't that true of all fantasy by definition? Oh of course there's Martin with his raping and oral sex for the more mature clientele...

pretty bad when compared to real writers.

What's a 'real' writer?

You wouldn't understand. But you don't mind that, do you.

 

[commie]

I think they might be good books for children.

Isn't that true of all fantasy by definition? Oh of course there's Martin with his raping and oral sex for the more mature clientele...

pretty bad when compared to real writers.

What's a 'real' writer?

You wouldn't understand. But you don't mind that, do you.

Don't worry I understand: it is either a) A writer that YOU like or, b) A writer that academia has deemed 'real' and so you have to fit in by considering him/her 'real' as well like er, um, Joyce*?



* Do not pretend to include Joyce as a writer you like despite name dropping Finnegan's Wake. No-one actually likes or reads Joyce....

 

[Deleted member 7219]

Remember when Salvatore pissed all his fans off and went and wrote The Cleric Quintet? Those were great books. All about a guy who wasn't suited for combat and his friends just kept dying around him. Those books were cool.

Having said that, the Drizzt books I really liked were those that dealt with Menzoberranzan, The Dark Elf Trilogy and its sequel trilogy Legacy of the Drow.

Also, KoA is terrible.

 

[felipepepe]

Before release, the game is perfect and he has all the freedom in the world.
On the week of release, it was a dream come true that made him cry.
A month later, the names kind of sucked, he only did the backstory.
6 months later, he didn't have any choice on it, only sent a couple of notes.
A year later, his new project X will be everything that KoA should have been and he has all the freedom in the world.

 

[SCO]

People who read D&D "fantasy" and it's terrible "worldbuilding" should be renegade interrupted

 

[Commissar Draco]

Before release, the game is perfect and he has all the freedom in the world.
On the week of release, it was a dream come true that made him cry.
A month later, the names kind of sucked, he only did the backstory.
6 months later, he didn't have any choice on it, only sent a couple of notes.
A year later, his new project X will be everything that KoA should have been and he has all the freedom in the world.

Is this not same thing every previous Biowhore AAA games turn? Anyway KoA turned to better shit that I thought to be... I men it didn't raped by inner fan like all Bethpizda games do since Morrowind. The game was stable, bug and faggot free and tottatly forgettable what can you expect more from Mainstream game? Incline? Serious issues? Deep? Turn based combat? Faggots at makes me , You don't like game you don't play it instead making 350 pages threads about how playing them 7 times sucked. Chill up, watch movie, read a book, go out and talk to your neighburs... Treat games as games aka entertainment not the Art or some such shit.

P.S. One way I loved in KoA was how Alyn Shir turns to be not your romance interest nor waifu. Must coused pain at Biotards hearts

 

[Ringhausen]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sellswords
No Drizzt, all Entreri and Jarlaxle. I don't remember Servant of the Shard. Promise of the Witch King was a pretty good fantasy adventure novel. Road of the Patriach...was meh, IIRC.

I loved Servant of the Shard when I was younger. It's the one where Artemis Enteri is back in his home town, but the thieves guild has been taken over by drow, and this guy who was a boss level super assassin in the previous books is a complete punk next to them. So he has to scheme his way to the top and get this awesome sword and... and I later reread it as an adult and it was pretty boring. Witch King was just Salvatore and his sons novelized D&D campaign iirc.

People who read D&D "fantasy" and it's terrible "worldbuilding" should be renegade interrupted

Reading these crappy Forgotten Realms novels can be very relaxing and fun occasionally. Particularly if you need a break from real books, you should try it out.

Unless they've changed mage to "magic user" (and that word is featured 294 times) or the protagonist is called something like Midnight or Alias.

 

[DwarvenFood]

"I loved the character of Alyn Shir," said Salvatore," and I wish she was in the game more."

Why isn't this guy working for Bioware yet? Seems like it would be a match made in HEAVAN.

He has no experience in fanfic.